I Love You for You
by Airreon Princess
Summary: Prime. When the team detects an Autobot vessel coming to earth, Arcee is eager to see who had crash landed. The team discovers that the members of the Galaxy-4 Starship Cruiser are all femmes and everyone it excited. But when the Starship's commander starts threatening Arcee and her self-worth, it's up to the femme to discover what she really means to the members of her team.
1. Chapter 1

**Does anyone even read author's notes? Whatever, Ima tell you what this looooong one-shot is about anyways.** **(PS-It's gonna be split up into a few chapters)**

 **This was inspired by something that most teenagers have...insecurity. I know I've felt insecure, and I know most of my friends have too. I'm writing this one shot to tell all of you that you can beat insecurity and it's always ok in the end. It will be a bit intense, hence the rating T. Don't like, don't read. Take this as a warning.**

 **OptimusXArcee...*giggles* and loads of other pairings. It'll be from Arcee's point of view cause the story is centred on our favourite femme.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime, it rightfully belongs to Hasbro.**

XXX

 ** _Arcee P.O.V_**

"Optimus!" Ratchet called. Our leader proudly strode over to the console where our team's medic was frantically pressing buttons that made no sense to me. I followed behind him, given that I'm his second in command.

"Look at this. It's an Autobot spaceship, and their identification is legitimate. Someone else has answered your call!" Ratchet exclaimed. I haven't seen him this excited since he 'helped' the children out with their science projects. Optimus nodded in recognition.

"And what ship would this be?"

"Let me check," more button pushing, "It's the Galaxy-4 Starship Cruiser. Its trajectory indicates that it is heading for a deserted location in the Savannah, a tourist location somewhere on the continent Africa." Ratchet gasped, drawing the rest of the team's attention. "Optimus, they are hailing us." ( **A/N: Yay Star Trek reference!** )

"Accept it and put it on screen."

What I saw startled me. They were all femmes! And there were four of them. And Primus, they all looked like human 'Victoria's Secret models.' I saw all of the mech's gazes go to certain femmes on-screen, and I could practically smell the testosterone lingering in the air. Stupid mechs…

The femme closest to the camera spoke first.

"Is this Optimus Prime's team?" I looked to the powerful mech, his mouth was open a crack and his optics dilated.

"Yes it is. And who might you four lovely femmes be?" I rolled my optics.

"I am Galatina. My weapons specialist, Storm," she gestured to the silver and dark grey femme to her left, "my medic, Scalpelle," the skinny, purple femme on her right, "and finally my scout, Flutter," Galatina took a step to the left and revealed a small but beautiful pink and light blue femme standing on her tip-toes, waving. "We would be honoured to join your team." Optimus bowed.

"The pleasure is ours." The femme nodded in thanks. "And who does your team comprise of, Optimus Prime?"

Optimus introduced all of the mechs and told the femme commander a little thing about them, mostly how they were brave, loyal, strong and capable. When he got to me, he seemed to hesitate. I lowered my brow slightly, confused as to why he couldn't think of anything to describe me. I pursed my lips.

I really like Optimus. More than like, I think that I might love him. I mean, what's not to love? His strong character, his caring and surprisingly gentle personality...it made me feel vulnerable, weak in the knees, if you will. And his frame was the most attractive one I've ever seen before in my long life. Everything from his helm to pedes, perfection. His strong arms, powerful legs, wide hips, and that deep, sexy voice. Ooo...I feel submissive whenever I hear him speak.

But he'll never feel the same way. I realize that. I'm just a regular femme...sure, I can fight at least a dozen cons and win, but that's all I can really do. I don't have any special skills to set me apart from other femmes, like the ones in that Starship. I bet that they can win against Megatron and Starscream, maybe even sing or dance, or please mechs in...different ways than I feel comfortable doing. I have no doubt that they are better at holding their metaphorical 'tongues' than I am. I always seem to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. I can never make anyone feel better after a long battle, heck, I can't even think of one thing that I contribute to the team...other than being the only femme.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I almost missed what Optimus said about me.

"And this is Arcee, my second in command." I waited for him to describe me, but to my confusion, he simply turned to face the screen once more and conversed with Galatina.

I was shocked. I knew that he didn't love me but come on? Not even a "she is the only femme,"? Apparently, my feelings displayed on my face because Ratchet asked me if everything was alright. I answered yes without hesitation, the lies spewing out of me. I let out a low growl. No wonder the team doesn't know me that well. All I say are lies.

"When will you be landing?" Optimus asked.

"One earth hour. At most." Prime nodded.

"Understood. We will greet you at your coordinates. Omega-1 out." With that, the screen went black. Bulkhead whistled.

"Wow. That Storm sure is something. I wanna get to know her better when those femmes arrive." Bumblebee nodded.

" _Yeah, Flutter seems nice. I hope that we hit it off._ " Ratchet smacked them both on the head, to my great pleasure.

"Lug nuts. The femmes are warriors, not pleasure bots! We must treat them with respect. Though I must say, they are all very beautiful, especially that Scalpelle," he sighed, "What a beauty."

" _Ooo! I think ol' Ratchet has a crush!_ "

"I do not!"

"Denial!"

"...scrap…"

I even saw Optimus join the conversation out of the corner of my optic, but barely because they were involuntarily filling up with tears. How could they talk about other femmes when I was standing right there, a clear look on my face saying 'stop it'? Why did they have to talk about how pretty these femmes were? Or how their colour sparkled in the ship's lighting? Or how they've never seen more gorgeous femmes in all of their life? And I was standing right there! Those stupid, typical, no good, son a of glitch mechs! Why do they have to make me feel worse than I already do?

I slid into my room and slammed the door, hard. I don't care if the guys think I'm being temperamental. I feel as though my spark is being ripped in half and my tanks are going to spill out onto the floor. Tears streamed down my face, my processor working overtime to convince me that these mechs and femmes don't want to hurt my feelings, they're just being them. They aren't deliberately trying to make me feel like nothing in the universe cares about me. They couldn't be...I don't believe it if they are until I see it myself. Which can't happen...it just can't.

XXX

36 minutes later, I got a COM from Optimus saying to meet him, Bulkhead and Bumblebee in the main room to groundbridge to the femme's ship's location. I reluctantly stopped the flow of tears and got rid of any evidence that I'd been bawling my optics out like a slag-headed sparkling. I felt butterflies in my tanks as I walked into the main room. Would the femme's be nice? Or even nicer? It was impossible to tell. I just hoped that they were a valuable asset to the team.

The three mechs were waiting for me at the open bridge. I nodded and transformed with Optimus' command. We sped through the vortex and were hit by a wall of heat. I felt my fans kick on as I transformed back into bipedal form. The four femmes each had two boxes of their belongings in hand and shining smiles on their faces. I got a good look at each of them.

Galatina was mostly dark red with light blue accents. Her optics were a beautiful diamond blue. Her helm had two long whips attached to the top left and right hand corners, giving them the appearance of 'ponytails.' Her face was long and toned, that went the same for her arms and slender legs. Her chestplate was much larger than mine, a trait considered very attractive on Cybertron, and as I understand it, on earth as well. She had toned and completely flat stomach paneling and the skinniest waistline I've ever seen. She was truly beautiful.

Storm's helm was modeled to resemble human bangs falling in front of her face, though the bangs themselves started at the back of her helm. I've never seen that on a cybertronian before. Her optics was a marvellous dark blue tint to them. Unlike Galatina, her arms and legs looked very strong, however her waist was small and her stomach was flat. Her main colour was light silver. She wore some sort of trench coat, which I presume has tons of storage areas inside to hide weapons. Her chestplate was larger than Galatina's, a feat all in itself. I started to feel self-conscious; I could never compete with these femmes!

Scalpelle was mainly purple with a few white highlights around her helm and arms. Her optics shone a brilliant teal and held much wisdom, which surprised me because she looked only a few twenty thousand years old. Scalpelle's helm was covered in small tendrils of pliable metal, much like hair. She had it pulled back into a ball on top of her helm. Sticking out of the ball were two daggers disguised as needles. Clever. Like Storm and Galatina, her chestplate was large, her waist small, and her hips wide. Her arms and legs were slender and lithe; there were white painted lines on her forearms, which accented their attractiveness.

And finally, Flutter was 18,000 to put it generously. Bumblebee was older than her, but her frame was fully developed. Her helm had two ponytail like things, similar to Galatina, but they were curled back into two ringlets. Flutter's 'bangs' framed her faceplate. Looking closer, I was able to see three light blue stripes adorning the sides of her face. She had beautiful, young optics that sparkled royal blue. She had a head crest similar to mine, but instead of stretching up, it was a golden band across her forehelm with a light blue jewel embossed in it. Her frame was small and lithe, yet she still had a perfectly sculpted waist, hips, arms, legs, and chestplate. It was about the same size as mine. But considering that she was only two thirds of my age, she wasn't done growing yet!

I approached the femmes with my team and shook their hands. I offered to carry a box for Galatina, but she said that she had it. Primus, even her voice was beautiful!

I ended up carrying no boxes and entered the groundbridge. But before I disappeared completely, I saw Optimus carrying Galatina's boxes. I scowled. Why would she refuse my help, but get Optimus to carry all of her boxes for her?

XXX

 **That's it for the first part. There will be more, but I decided rather than writing one long one-shot, I could split it up into chapters. Don't worry, I'm working on Their Happily Ever After as well.**

 **Did anyone else experience that site-wide malfunction? Tell me if you did in the reviews.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm probably going to make this a three to five parter. Depending on how many ideas I have.**

 **I'm warning you now, there will be swearing in this chapter, albeit minimal, but still. The themes in this chapter are quite serious and not for the faint of heart. Read at your own risk. (Jeez Airreon, a little harsh perhaps?)**

 **Disclaimer: I'll let you guys figure this one out…**

XXX

"So these are your quarters," I explained to the new arrivals. I was still confused as to why Galatina didn't want my help, but I rolled with it, assuming she had her own reasons. "You're free to choose your own." Storm, Scalpelle and Flutter claimed the 3 rooms on the left side of the grey hallway. Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Optimus' quarters were a little closer to the main room than these ones. Galatina chose the only room to the right. She turned to me and gave a motion for me to follow her.

I carried one of her boxes into the room and set it down on her bed. But when I turned around, she was frowning at me, her slender arms crossed. I felt my helm cock slightly to the right as I raised my eyebrow.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"Now listen here Arcee," Galatina started. She strode towards me in a threatening manner. Being the soldier I was, I didn't back down one bit. In fact, I met her halfway.

"Why are you interested in Optimus?"

"Pardon?"

"I saw the way you looked at him when we called in."

"Yeah, so what."

"I just wanted to tell you that he's mine." I stood there, absolutely flabbergasted. Who did this femme think she was? Optimus' ex? I knew that he'd never date a femme this rude. I snickered, lowered my helm, smiled, then met her dead in the optic.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just go around claiming mechs for yourself. It isn't the way it should be." She smiled sinisterly and backed me into a wall. Since she was almost 5 feet taller than me, I straightened out my back to make myself look taller and, hopefully, more imposing.

"And why can't I? It's not like he'd fall for anyone else…" She gasped in mock realization. "Unless he'd fall for you. But you love him, don't you." I immediately know what she was doing. Galatina was trying to get into my head and twist the knife. I'd done it plenty of times to Decepticon prisoners. I also had it done to me a fair bit, so I knew some techniques to block her out.

"But we both know that wouldn't happen," my curiosity had been tickled, "Because you're just a selfish, heartless bitch who wants nothing but to have Optimus all to herself. He would never fall for someone like you. Your frame is horrendous! I mean, that waistline, primus femme, what have you been eating? And really? Triangles in your legs? But your faceplate, that drop-dead hideous faceplate. Optics should only be one colour sweetie, and your whole face just looks chubby. What are you? 100? You should've outgrown pink by now…"

I tried to hold back the tears that had been forming, pushing to maintain my tough exterior, but I failed miserably, tears spilling down my face. This bitch had pointed out and exploited all of my insecurities. I kept trying to remind myself that I am beautiful, but Galatina was in my processor, and I knew that she could twist the knife even more if she wanted to, in order to break me completely. I prayed that she wouldn't. I tried to run out of that primus-forsaken room, but my pedes wouldn't move from the floor. I dared not look her in the face as her arm pressed against the wall beside me. She leaned in closer.

"And deep down, you know that all of these are true. Nobot will love you for you...ever. You know that in order to get mechs, you have to look like me. And you want to...desperately. Now...watch this." She pressed her digits up against her COM link and put on a fake pout.

"Optimus. I need some more help with my boxes. I was going to ask Arcee to help, but she said no…" Galatina then put her link on speaker and smirked.

"Oh, I am so sorry Galatina. Arcee is an acquired taste at times. I will be over in a few minutes. Optimus out."

By now, my spark had been crushed. I sobbed uncontrollably, unable to quench the tear flow. Optimus had, for lack of a better term, insulted me. My frame shook with tremors as I cried out. There was an unidentifiable pain in the core of my spark that felt like several blows to the chest. My processor was screaming all of my doubts inside me. I was surprised that the red femme didn't hear them too. My pedes finally responded as I ran out of there as fast as I could. The last thing I saw was Galatina laughing.

I ran into Optimus halfway to my quarters. He stuck his arm out to block me from passing. I stopped abruptly, choking back a sob and drying my faceplate. I looked at him, trying not to cry out in anguish as my spark was currently doing.

"Arcee," Optimus scolded, "Why did you refuse to help our new recruit in a time of need?" I looked straight into Optimus' optics and immediately got lost in the deep, compassionate aqua infinity that I could plainly see. But I knew I'd never be able to stare into those eyes without having to explain myself for some mishap. I blinked and lowered my head.

"I-"

"Optimus! I was looking for you everywhere!" Galatina bounded up behind me and roughly pushed me out of the way. Prime didn't seem to notice the sound of me hitting the concrete wall behind me and my cry of pain as my right winglet got crushed. He just looked at her and told her to lead the way, leaving me in the hallway. I winced as I got up. I checked my winglet; it was crumpled like an accordion. There were some sensitive circuits in there that may have gotten damaged. I'd have to go to Ratchet, but not right now. I sprinted as fast os my weak legs could carry me back to my quarters. I slid into the room and slammed the door, not caring who heard me. Because right now, I had more important things to worry about.

I passed my berth, nightstand and stopped in front of my dresser. There wasn't much on there. I few papers littered it and I'd placed picture frames on the top shelf. I gazed at the one with me and Cliffjumper the same day that we arrived on earth. He'd just told me that I was beautiful, and in the picture I was blushing bashfully while Cliffjumper held my cheek in one hand.

But I realized that he'd said that to get a reaction out of me. No one loved me in the way that I wanted to be loved. Not as a friend, but as a mate. How dare Cliffjumper play with my feelings, just to get a good picture.

White-hot rage started boiling up inside my spark as I reached towards the frame. I looked at my body. Galatina was right, I wasn't and would never be as pretty as her femmes. I accepted the fact that no one loved me. That tipped the scales.

I yelled out in frustration and punched the glass, shattering it. The picture was now scarred with tiny fragments of glass. I threw it to the floor and marched to my full-length mirror that sat beside my desk. I examined myself from different angles, helm to pede. As I did that, my anger with myself grew and grew. I had to do something about this. I had to look like the other femmes.

I made a decision. I balled my fists into a tight clench and gritted my denta.

There was a knock on my door. My spark leapt at the possibility that it was Optimus, but when a grumpy voice called out, I growled.

"Arcee," Ratchet called, "I have your daily ration."

"I refueled this morning," I called back, attempting to keep my voice steady. I wasn't easy, but Ratchet bought it.

"You did? Ok." I heard his footsteps walk back to the main room.

I let out my breath that I'd been holding. I felt my stomach growl in hunger, but I ignored it. I hadn't refueled in 2 days. If I was going to keep up this new diet and exercise plan, it'll take some serious commitment. I would be beautiful…

No matter what.

XXX

 **It will only go downhill from there. I figured that even Arcee feels the tremendous weight of insecurity. I've never had an eating disorder, so everything might not be accurate. I won't go into much detail for the following chapters, to keep myself from possibly offending people. This was probably the most intense chapter I have planned out. Don't worry, everything will be fine in the end.**

 **If you have any comments, questions, or complaints, PM me and we'll talk.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all of your positive reviews guys! Now, I have a few shoutouts to some people before I start.**

 **As per the request of 97, unicron1000, and especially Starlit Storyteller, I'm going to be updating this story literally as soon as possible. There's been a lull in my homework load, so I'll write whenever I can. That being said, Their Happily Ever After will be delayed until this story is finished. Consider it a short hiatus.**

 **And a special thanks to Greendogg for her ideas with this chapter! As promised Greendogg, here's your mention! :)**

 **And to Aili-chan, "Silver! Mess up Galatina's face!"**

 **Warning: Cursing ahead.**

 **Disclaimer: You know what I'm about to say...so I won't say it.**

XXX

I woke up that morning, my faceplate stiff and crusted. I didn't want to accept the fact that I'd been crying all night because of some stupid words. But words hurt, and now I was starving. But I knew there was no turning back. Galatina had gotten into my processor and twisted my thoughts, leaving me with this unexplainable desire to have mechs notice me.

I remember about a time that I was talking with Jack. He pointed out that I seemed like the type of girl who "is one of the guys." I didn't mean much to me then, but now, I felt a rage towards my partner. Who could he say that I acted like a mech when I was clearly a femme?

Unless it wasn't that clear. Oh well, something to cry about tonight.

After completing my daily routine (minus the refueling), I opened my door to talk with the others. What I saw surprised me.

A single red rose lay in front of my door. There was no indication of who put it there, almost like a secret admirer would do. I bent down and delicately picked up the beautiful flower. I smiled, knowing that it could've very well been Optimus who dropped it here. I was about to call off my plan mentally, but something caught the corner of my optic. Another rose laying in the middle of the hallway. I stared at it, confused. Did someone leave a trail for me to find?

I decided to follow the trail of roses littered on the floor. They led me farther into the base. When the rose trail stopped, I peeked inside the room. I wish that I hadn't.

It was Galatina's room. I didn't think I had to be quiet, so I didn't, and she was staring right at me. She held a big bouquet of roses in one hand, and a small card in the other. She smirked and mouthed "From Optimus."

My spark shattered. The small pieces bounced around inside my spark chamber as I ran towards the training room, part two of my plan. I'm going to train at least 3 earth hours a day from now on. That should get my skinny in no time.

Suddenly a wave of dizziness washed over me. I stumbled, tripped and fell onto my crushed winglet, making me see dark spots in my vision. It hurt like frag lying there on the concrete floor. I struggled to stay conscious. After the dizziness faded away, I stood up on shaky legs and walked to the training room.

The room wasn't much to talk about. It was a similar hangar to where Bulkhead and Ratchet spared when he was high on synth-en (even thought that room still had a hole in one side). There were different, heavy-duty equipment that littered the floor, hung from the ceiling, and stuck to the walls. There was a climbing wall on the left side of the room. The fluorescent stones stood out against the grey, jagged wall. A boxing ring stood in the middle of the room, where Bulkhead and Bumblebee were sparing. Fake swords, maces, and axes were neatly placed on a rack in the far right corner. There were some spare mats thrown about the room. Fighting dummies, new and old, were scattered with the mats.

I strode into the room and picked up a ball. I walked onto one of the mats and sat down. My legs hovered from the ground as I started twisting my midsection, trying to touch the ball to the ground. I think the humans call this a "Russian Twist." ( **A/N: I did Russian Twists in gym class. I was dead by the end of it…** )

I wanted my waist to get smaller and my core to strengthen. Galatina was definitely in my head. Bulkhead and Bumblebee finished their match and asked me what I was doing.

"Oh nothing," I panted, "Just working out a bit. I should be done soon." That was a lie.

"Ok," Bulkhead said gingerly. "I have to go meet Storm. We're going out." I stopped immediately and stared at Bulkhead in shock. Bumblebee slapped Bulkhead on the back beeping, "You player!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm the man."

I stood up and entered the conversation, hoping to attain more desire and drive to make me skinnier.

"What do you think of the femmes? Are they nice to you guys?" Bumblebee sighed contently.

"Yeah. Flutter and I are really close. I want to ask her out on a date soon. Hopefully she'll say yes." I felt a ripple of anger spread through me. Even though the young femme was just that, young, she was still more beautiful than I'd ever hope to be.

"Storm is my kind of gal. She's tough, likes explosives, and best of all, she's the most beautiful femme I've seen in all of my life." I involuntarily balled my fists. If I were human, my knuckles would be white.

"Hey Arcee? Have you noticed Optimus' weird behaviour?" I nodded. "I think it's because of that Galatina. I heard a rumour that they spark-bonded. Man, lucky guy…"

That was the final straw. I screamed at the two mechs.

"WELL, OUR TEAM NEEDS WARRIORS, NOT SUPERMODELS!" I sniffled. A tear rolled down my cheek. "And that's why I'm here."

Without waiting for a reply, I dashed out of the room and to my quarters once more. Screw the training room; I could work out in here where no one could trespass. And that's exactly what I did.

XXX

(3 hours later)

I finished my reps drenched in a translucent energon sweat. I grabbed a towel and wiped my faceplate. If I did this every day then I'd be skinny in no time. My stomach growled, demanding a refuel. I denied and looked at myself in the mirror. Nothing had changed. I decided that if this was something worth fighting for, I had to make some other changes.

XXX

(One week later)

3 hours a day, 7 days a week. I had exercised 21 hours total, almost a full day. My waist was now as thin if not thinner than Galatina's. I felt nothing but pride…and starvation. The last time I'd refueled was 3 days ago, when I drank only a sip of energon. That had lasted me up until today. Ratchet had come by every day with my ration, and every day I'd tell him that I had refueled in the morning when no one was awake. I could tell that he was getting suspicious, but I denied every question he'd thrown at me.

But that wasn't the only thing that's changed around here, and I'm not talking about me.

Bulkhead and Storm were getting serious. They'd talked about spark-bonding and raising a family. Ratchet was strongly against the idea, saying that he couldn't have sparklings running around the place and breaking his equipment.

That was when Scalpelle calmed him down in all of a second. They seemed to be getting serious as well.

Bumblebee and Flutter were now going out, but they were only 18 in human years, so they weren't doing anything that they weren't supposed to be. I made sure of that.

Even the youngest members of our team had found love. It occurred to me that some of the team's love rubbed off on Jack and Miko. The two teenagers had confessed that they liked one another for a long time and ended up getting together. Even Raf had found a girl at school who was very intelligent like him. Even though they couldn't come to base, he seemed happy to share what they did together.

That just left Optimus and Galatina. No one was really sure what those two were up to. But because of Miko, we now knew that they weren't bonded (thank Primus for her careless attitude). But hey still seemed inseparable. I had to change that. So in order for him to notice me, I made a few more changes.

I now wore colour contacts, something that the humans wear to change eye colour. My optics were a solid aqua blue, my lavender rings nowhere in sight. I'd painted my pink armour white to stand out against the still cobalt blue of my body armour. I manufactured special wedges to go in my thighs to close up the triangles, making them flush with no seams. In addition to the big changes, I started wearing light blue lipstick. My heels were bigger, making me taller. Overall, I knew that people would notice me.

The stunned looks on the faces of my comrades made me smile. They knew I was beautiful.

"Arcee," Bulkhead said, Storm clinging to his arm, "What happened?" Bumblebee and Ratchet nodded in agreement.

"Well, I wanted to try something new." Ouch, these wedges are digging into my legs. "Do you like it?" I asked.

I was surprised when everyone seemed to hesitate. I thought I looked beautiful, so why didn't they?

My thoughts were interrupted by the two sets of footfalls coming from the hallway. I spun around to see Optimus and Galatina...holding hands! My optics and Optimus' locked. My optics were wide, his were confused.

"Oh Arcee! What did you do to your frame?" Galatina asked joyfully. I knew that she was enjoying this. That bitch…

"I wanted to change it up a little," I spat.

"Well, that you certainly did." I growled. Ratchet got between the "happy couple" and I.

"Ok you three. We have an energon retrieval mission. It should only take a few of you. Galatina, Optimus, Arcee and Bumblebee, you're going." Bumblebee beeped sadly and told Flutter that he'd be back soon. They kissed. I felt jealousy weigh down on my shoulders.

Galatina stroked Optimus' arm before transforming into a sleek red and blue Can-Am Spyder Roadster. I felt her deliberately one-upping me...constantly. I transformed as well, the wedges in my thighs creaking in protest. _Beauty is pain,_ I reminded myself.

Suddenly, I had another dizzy spell, courtesy of the lack of energon in my systems. I tipped over, my side getting all scratched. Galatina let out a short laugh.

"Are you ok, dear?" she asked, taunting me. She knew about my eating habits from the start and always reminded me of it. I was ashamed, but yet I still did it. Why?

I steadied myself once more and we sped through the groundbridge. I thought I was fine until we got to the other side and I felt my stomach churn. Was this what it was like for the humans?

I transformed quickly and ducked behind a bush. I didn't want anybody to see me think weak, sick, and defeated.

"Arcee," I heard Optimus call out. "Where are you?"

"Here," I groaned. I shook off the feeling and stood up. "I thought I saw something in the bushes. I guess not."

"Jumping at shadows, are we Arcee?" Galatina observed. I said nothing and she smirked. Optimus seemed oblivious to the situation when he entered the cave from which the signal was emanating from.

Bumblebee and I ducked behind one rock while Optimus and that femme ducked behind another one. We saw multiple vehicons, Knockout and Breakdown mining the energon. I looked to Optimus for a signal and to check him out. I knew that I would never deserve him. He belonged to Galatina.

I was so focused in my thoughts that I almost missed the signal. We charged.

Knockout and breakdown saw us and charges as well, at least a dozen vehicons behind them, firing at us. I dodged as best as I could, but a vehicon got a lucky shot and hit me in the midsection. I cried out and fell mid leap. Knockout ran up to me.

"Please kill me," I begged, surprising everyone, including myself.

"Oh darling," Knockout said, "I plan to."

Showing me no mercy, Knockout drew his blade, and cut a hole open in my side. My optics exploded wide. I couldn't breathe. The pain was unbearable. I screamed. Shakily, I looked to my side and saw dull blue energon dripping out of me. I knew there wasn't much energon in my systems, so I embraced the darkness that claimed me.

But just before I lost consciousness, I felt someone pick me up and carry me through a groundbridge.

XXX

 **Cliffhanger! Sorry! (no I'm not XD) I hope that this chapter wasn't too rushed for you all. Make sure to leave a review! It fuels my fire of determination! Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok guys! This is the last chapter! I hoped you liked this looooong one-shot. It's been a good ride.**

 **Warning: Cursing ahead**

 **This chapter will switch between normal P.O.V and Arcee's P.O.V**

 **Disclaimer: Do I even need these? You know that I don't own Transformers Prime by now...geez…**

XXX

(Normal P.O.V)

Optimus scooped Arcee up in his arms after she'd collapsed. He didn't know why she had lost consciousness the way she did, but he intended to find out after Ratchet fixed her.

Immediately, Optimus ordered a retreat.

"Why?" Galatina whined, "We're winning." Optimus was surprised. The femme certainly saw Arcee in his arms, barely hanging on, and she was worried about winning the battle? He'd have to have a chat with her later, but Arcee's life was at stake.

Optimus, Galatina, and Bumblebee ran through the groundbridge that had appeared behind them and quickly got Arcee to a private medbay. Ratchet was already in there (thankfully) and set right to work. Now that the Prime got a good look at his SIC, he was confused.

Her pink armour had changed to white and she was stick-thin, rivalling Miko's slim build. He saw a wedge sticking out of the triangles in her thighs. He winced internally. Those had to be digging into her internal workings. Optimus felt nothing but guilt for her injuries. He wasn't sure why, but when she came to, he hoped that she could tell him.

Ratchet briskly pushed everybody out of the door and slammed it, giving him and Arcee privacy. Through the door, the team could hear the beeping of electrical monitors and whirring of medical instruments.

It would be a while before Optimus could lay optics on the beautiful femme.

 _(2 hours later, Arcee P.O.V)_

I wish Knockout had killed me, because I'm not sure if all of this pain is worth me onlining. My side was so excruciatingly painful that I almost blacked out again. Fire spread up my right side as I powered up my systems. I knew in the back of my processor that Galatina would still be taunting me with her ridicule, breaking my will further. And now that she had Optimus under her spell, there was no more reason to change myself. I just had to accept that I was alone and unloved in this world.

My optics fluttered open to see the entire team in my room. Even the humans were there. Miko spotted me first and yelled, "Guys! She's awake!" In an instant Ratchet was at my side. My optics felt unfocused, the orange medic blurring in and out of clear view. I felt so tired, like I'd just run 2 full marathons. I just wanted to recharge.

"No Arcee, stay with us," I heard Ratchet say. I felt small hands on my arm. I turned my helm to see Jack smiling at me. He too was fading away. By reflex, I put my hands on my thighs to check the wedges. I felt nothing. My thighs were hollow.

I sat up hurriedly to see if my sensors were malfunctioning. They weren't, and now my side felt like it was being violently torn apart by wolves. Ignoring the pain, I checked my previously white armour, which to my horror were light pink once more. I saw my old, fat waistline half lying down on the berth, as wide and ugly as ever. I checked my reflection in the reflective panels on my forearms. My colour contacts were removed and my sky blue-pink rings shone as brightly as before. Shit, Ratchet turned me back to normal!

"Ratchet!" I cried, "What happened?" The response was calm and well thought out.

"That's what I'd like to know. Why did you change every aspect of yourself? Why are you so distant all of a sudden? Why do you not feel comfortable in your own armour anymore?"

I wanted to reply, but out of the corner of my optic I saw Galatina cast a threatening glare at me, making my impending words get lost in my processor. Instead, I just succumbed to the agony of my injury.

"Ah!" I cried, clutching my midsection. I saw Ratchet usher everybody out except for the one mech I can't be with. _Typical_ , I thought, _it_ _ **had**_ _to be Optimus! C'mon universe, give me a break!_

"Now Arcee," Ratchet's unusually calm voice spoke. "Where does it hurt?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about the once gaping hole in my waist? That would do it." I really didn't need any of this right now. I needed to...do something. I wasn't sure what.

"I've stitched that up, but what confuses me was the crushed circuits in your winglet." How did that happen?"

"I gopuhsinuwll…"

"What was that?" he prodded.

"I got pushed into a wall!" The shocked expressions on the mech's faces was expected. I glared at Optimus.

"And you were there when it happened." His expression turned to that of confusion. Ratchet asked me who would do such a thing. I would answer, but I knew that Galatina was probably listening to the exchange, so I decided to say nothing. That (somehow) led Optimus to think that he had to place his hand on my shoulder. I tensed and shrugged his hand off. Tears brimmed my optics. Why did I have to be so distant?

"Arcee," the Prime said softly, "I was not aware…"

"Yeah," I retorted, "You were too busy staring into the optics of a beast!"

"Arcee!"

"What? I have a right to say that? That Galatina is a sparkless b-" I covered my mouth in a panic, praying that they didn't hear the name. But the universe wanted me to suffer, so as luck would have it, they heard it clear as day.

"Galatina did this?" Ratchet said, motioning to my body, "Arcee, how did she get in your processor so deep to make you stop refuelling and make you think you weren't good enough?"

"She said nasty things to me. All of my deepest disappointments in myself. Then she...mentioned t-that a c-certain mech would love me if I ch-changed, so...I changed." Tears were stinging down my cheeks. I squeezed my optics shut, expelling more tears.

"Oh Arcee," Ratchet said, "Why didn't you tell us sooner? Rather than let this get out of hand…"

"I was acting childish and selfish. I shouldn't have told you guys…"

"Who was the mech Arcee?" Optimus asked gently, placing his hand once again on my shoulder. I cried harder, knowing that I could never be with him; he saw how weak and childish I was. He wouldn't feel the same way. To distance myself a little more, I brought my knees up to my chestplate, ignoring the burning pain of my injury.

"I can't say. He's taken." I stared into Optimus' optics, immediately getting lost. The kindness in his spark shined through the worry. But I also saw...love? No, I was imagining things. Ratchet watched this exchange and 'hmmed.' He got up behind Optimus and placed a hand on his shoulder, spinning him around.

"Optimus. Do you love Arcee?" My mouth hung open. Why in Primus' name gave Ratchet the impression that Optimus loved me? _Stop giving me false hope you wrench-eater!_

Optimus looked bashful all of a sudden. I cocked my helm slightly. Can Primes even look bashful? Could that even happen?

"Y-Yes. I do, Ratchet."

My spark sung. He loved me? He loved me! I guess those changes I made really paid off! I let a small fraction of my happiness show through with a soft smile.

"And Arcee, is Optimus the mech you love?" I looked him in the optic.

"Yes."

"Then work this out you two. I'll be just outside." Ratchet slipped out the door, making em a bit nervous.

"So…" I started. _Stupid femme! Why did you say that? He's probably going to rethink this whole situation!_

"So…" Optimus smiled.

"I guess Galatina was right. The changes I made do make sense." Optimus dropped his smile and took my hands.

"Is that honestly what you think motivates me to love you?" I shrugged.

"Well, yeah. You didn't love me before I changed. And now that changes happened, you love me."

"You misunderstand Arcee. I loved you when you came to this planet." I drew in a breath, waiting for the punchline. But Primes don't lie and don't make jokes, so he wasn't kidding.

"Are...are you serious?"

"Yes, my love. I love you for who you are, not who someone told you to be. I love the pink in contrast to your beautiful blue armour. I love the gorgeous pink halos in you optics. I would change nothing about you Arcee. You're perfect. I love _you_ for _you_."

I was astonished. I couldn't even think. My mouth opened and closed involuntarily. Optimus chuckled and kissed my cheek.

"And don't ever change." I nodded. I failed to notice Optimus drawing closer. I felt that I was too, and I didn't try to stop.

Our lips melded. At first my optics remained open, but they closed immediately. Optimus was a good kisser. His arms snaked around my waist, always being mindful of my injury. When he passed over it, and I flinched. But instead of drawing his hand away, he massaged it. I moaned.

The kiss deepened. I put my hands around his neck, drawing us closer together. All I felt was love for Optimus, and my own personal acceptance. This is who I was, and this is who I would be...forever.

I heard a click and pulled away just in time to see Miko with her phone held up. She giggled uncontrollably. I looked to Optimus and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"So...are you two together?"

"Yes Miko. And I couldn't be happier," I told the girl. I gazed into his eyes. His fingers circled my winglet. I never expected it could feel so good.

Just then Ratchet opened the door, and people started piling into the small room. Last to come in was Galatina. I felt fear at first. I guess it showed because Optimus squeezed my shoulder in reassurance. I looked into his optics again and smiled, confidence spilling out of me.

"Arcee! I was so worried!" Jack cried. He ran up to the berth and hugged my chin. I laughed.

"I'm alright Jack." Jack gave a thumbs up and Miko came bounding over. She kissed his cheek and showed him the picture of us. He scoffed and laughed at the same time.

"Congrats guys! I think you needed this Arcee."

"I did."

"Oh please!" Galatina whined, "He doesn't love you Arcee. He's just saying that to make you feel better. Him and I are bonded." I gasped and looked to the mech currently holding me. He looked at me, shook his head and looked back to Galatina.

"What you say is false, commander, and I am positive that you know it as well. I love Arcee. There was no, and will be no 'us.'"

Galatina lunged for me. I was thankful to Bumblebee and Bulkhead who held her back. Optimus wrapped his arms around me tighter, trying to protect me. Ratchet stepped forward and placed his hands behind his back.

"I did some research, and it turns out that there is no one named Galatina on the Autobot side. There is, however, a certain red and blue commander on the Decepticon side." Everyone gasped. "So you, commander, are banned from the base...after your memory has been wiped." Galatina growled and shouted a line of curses before Ratchet placed cuffs on her hands and led the screaming femme out of the room to erase her memory and send her back to the cons. I was relieved that there wasn't an Autobot femme who was that villainous.

Bulkhead whistled. "I knew that there was something wrong with her, but I never even imagined that she was a con."

"I could've imagined," I spat.

Storm stroked Bulkhead's arm and silently said something. He smiled.

"So...with that out of the way...Storm and I have some good news." We were all intrigued.

"Storm is sparked. We're gonna have a sparkling!"

Our reaction was instant. Bulkhead and Storm were enveloped in hugs and a blanket of "Congratulations!" They thanked us. Bumblebee punched Bulkhead in the arm.

"You player!"

"I know...I'm the man." Storm smacked his arm in a teasing manner.

I was also recognized for overcoming the tremendous hurdle. Bulkhead said that if he was to one in my situation, he would've gone nuts or killed himself. I sadly said that I almost did, asking Knockout to kill me during the mission.

"I was so blinded by the fact that I had to be like Galatina, I missed out on everyone's special relationships...I'm so sorry guys." I turned my helm away, not wanting to see their faces. But Scalpelle lifted my chin up and said that it wasn't my fault, and that Galatina was like that all the time. I could tell that she was still a little shaken knowing that she served under a Decepticon.

"Yeah Cee," Storm exclaimed, "That good for nothing con always put us through the ringer and made us feel bad about ourselves. Trust me, you aren't the only one."

"Thanks guys." I said.

Later, me and Optimus were lying in his quarters. He stroked my winglets, making me moan every 2 seconds. This is how I always wanted to fall asleep and wake up...in his arms. I felt safe. And I now knew that I just had to be myself to accomplish it.

 _I love you for you...and don't ever change._

XXX

 **And they all lived happily ever after...see what I did there? Happily ever...never mind…**

 **So how did you guys like the story? Tell me how I did in your review. I am now going to officially complete this…**

 **Love, Airreon Princess.**

 **END**


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